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Autoimmune Disorders: Your GoodRx Guide
Written by Mandy Armitage, MD | Reviewed by Karla Robinson, MD
Updated on March 17, 2026An autoimmune disease is a condition that results from the body’s immune system reacting against normal, healthy parts of the body. The immune system is a complex network of:
Organs
Cells
Proteins
Chemical messengers
The immune system is meant to help protect us from foreign invaders, such as bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens. Most of the time, it works well, and we don’t even notice it’s there.
Reviewed by Mera Goodman, MD, FAAP | June 28, 2024
With autoimmune disorders, there’s a problem with the way the body’s immune system works, and the body mistakenly attacks itself. The hallmark of autoimmune disease is inflammation, which can be harmful over time.
Autoimmune disease affects around 8% of the U.S. population. More than 100 autoimmune disorders exist, and some are more common than others. Here are some of the more common ones:
Type 1 diabetes
Autoimmune thyroiditis
Graves’ disease
Rheumatoid arthritis
Psoriasis
Crohn’s disease
Ulcerative colitis
Multiple sclerosis
Vitiligo
Alopecia
Systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus)
Celiac disease
Ankylosing spondylitis
Autoimmune disease causes
Experts aren’t sure what causes the immune system to become dysfunctional. But it’s likely that a combination of factors are to blame:
Genetics: differences in genes or how they’re expressed
Environment: exposure to chemicals, sunlight, or infections
Lifestyle: smoking and nutrition
Autoimmune diseases have become more common worldwide (and in the U.S.) in the past 30 years. It’s also common to have more than one autoimmune disease. About a quarter of people with autoimmune disease have more than one.
Autoimmune disease risk factors
Some people are at higher risk for developing autoimmune disease than others, depending on:
Family history: Many autoimmune diseases run in families, and some families experience more than one type.
Ethnicity: People of African descent are more likely to be affected by lupus and scleroderma. People of European descent are more likely to develop Type 1 diabetes and autoimmune thyroid disease.
Biological sex: Most autoimmune conditions affect more women than men. In fact, autoimmune disease is roughly twice as common in women.
Symptoms of autoimmune disorders
Autoimmune disorders can affect any system of the body, so a wide variety of symptoms is possible. There’s some overlap, though. Common symptoms include:
Fever
General aches and pains
Fatigue (extreme tiredness)
Rash
Swollen glands
In many cases, autoimmune conditions affect primarily one organ system and cause a specific set of symptoms. Here are some examples:
Dermatologic (skin): scleroderma and psoriasis
Endocrine (hormones): Hashimoto’s thyroid disease and Graves’ disease
Musculoskeletal (bones and muscles): rheumatoid arthritis and myositis
Neurologic: multiple sclerosis (MS) and myasthenia gravis
Vascular (blood vessels): giant cell arteritis and vasculitis
But many autoimmune diseases affect several organ systems all at once or over time. For example:
Systemic lupus erythematosus can affect the skin, joints, kidneys, and heart.
Dermatomyositis affects the skin and muscles.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease of the endocrine system. But it can have widespread effects on the body.
Related Health Conditions
Diagnosis
How quickly and easily you can get a diagnosis and treatment depends on the particular autoimmune disease. For example, testing for Hashimoto’s disease is relatively simple, as is treatment for most people. But there isn’t a quick test for many other autoimmune conditions. So getting a diagnosis is less straightforward (and sometimes can be frustrating). There’s often a process of ruling out other conditions or causes for your symptoms. This can involve blood tests, imaging tests, or both.
Once you have a diagnosis, treatment can begin. While medications are important, know that treatment can take other forms, too. That’s why people with autoimmune conditions often see a team of specialists for their healthcare needs. This is a good thing because the more support you can get, the better. Your team might include any of the following:
Physician specialists (such as rheumatologists, neurologists, or gastroenterologists)
Infusion or medication nurses
Physical and/or occupational therapists
Nutritionists
Care coordinators
Social workers
Mental health specialists
At the end of the day, know that you’re not alone. Having an autoimmune disorder can be confusing, exhausting, and difficult. But medications are improving, research is ongoing, and support is available. If you’re struggling with the emotional part of autoimmune disease, please reach out to someone on your care team.
Medications for autoimmune diseases
Treatment for autoimmune disease often involves prescription medications that target the immune system. Not every medication will be appropriate for every autoimmune disease.
NSAIDs and steroids
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and glucocorticoids (“steroids”) work well against inflammation. They are often quick to relieve symptoms.
It’s important to avoid taking them in the long term, because that makes side effects more likely. Examples include gastrointestinal bleeding (caused by NSAIDs) and bone loss (caused by glucocorticoids).
Disease-modifying drugs
The most effective treatments lower the immune activity that causes autoimmune disease. In this way, disease-modifying medications reduce damage to tissues and organs caused by long-term inflammation. Other names for these medications are disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) or immunosuppressants.
Conventional (older) disease-modifying drugs include:
Newer disease-modifying drugs are called biologics. Unlike most other medications, they are made using biotechnology. Most biologic treatments for autoimmune disease are monoclonal antibodies. These are lab-made antibodies designed to target specific parts of the immune system.
Here are some examples of biologics treatments used in autoimmune disease:
Adalimumab (Humira)
Etanercept (Enbrel)
Ocrelizumab (Ocrevus)
Rituximab (Rituxan)
Tocilizumab (Actemra)
Sarilumab (Kevzara)
Ixekizumab (Taltz)
Secukinumab (Cosentyx)
Tofacitinib (Xeljanz)
Baricitinib (Olumiant)
Keep in mind, these medications affect the immune system. So, taking them can increase your risk of serious infection. Other side effects are possible as well.
Autoimmune disease treatments
Autoimmune diseases are typically lifelong and can greatly affect your quality of life. While there’s no cure for them, effective treatments are available. They can help improve symptoms, lower the risk of complications, and improve your ability to perform daily activities.
Specific treatments depend on the individual disease. But the general principles and goals of treatment are as follows:
Avoid triggers (such as gluten in celiac disease).
Relieve symptoms.
Control the immune system’s effects on the body.
Prevent further damage from the disease.
Replace what the body can no longer make (if needed, as in insulin in Type 1 diabetes and thyroid hormone in Hashimoto’s disease).
How to prevent an autoimmune disease
It’s not yet possible to prevent an autoimmune disease from developing. But there’s some evidence to suggest that certain lifestyle habits may decrease the risk. These include:
Avoiding smoking
Eating a diet high in antioxidants and whole foods
Avoiding excess weight gain
Doing regular physical activity
Getting vaccinations to prevent infection
Getting mental health support
For some autoimmune diseases, finding and avoiding triggers can be important. This is especially true for conditions that affect the gut. For example:
Red and processed meats have been linked to flares of ulcerative colitis.
People with lupus are often advised to avoid alfalfa.
The treatment for celiac disease is avoiding gluten in foods, medications, and other products.
That said, it’s important to know that there’s no magic diet for people with autoimmune disease. The only exception to this is celiac disease, despite what you may read online. But if you do notice a link between what you’re eating and your symptoms, be sure to speak with your healthcare team. They can provide the best guidance or put you in touch with a nutrition expert.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common autoimmune diseases?
Some of the most common autoimmune disease are:
Rheumatoid arthritis
Hashimoto’s autoimmune thyroiditis
Celiac disease
Graves’ disease
Psoriasis
Inflammatory bowel disease
Autoimmune chronic urticaria
Type 1 diabetes
Which parts of the body are affected by autoimmune diseases?
Autoimmune diseases, by definition, affect the immune system. That is the one thing they all have in common. Aside from that, each autoimmune disease affects the body differently. For example, psoriatic arthritis affects the joints. But multiple sclerosis affects the nervous system. That’s why signs and symptoms are different from one autoimmune disease to the next.
Is it possible to have more than one autoimmune condition at the same time?
Yes. In fact, some autoimmune diseases are more likely than others to occur together. For example, people with Type 1 diabetes are more likely to have autoimmune thyroid disease and rheumatoid arthritis. This is likely due to genetic reasons that make certain conditions more likely to happen.
Are autoimmune diseases serious or life-threatening?
Yes. Some autoimmune diseases can affect vital organs, such as the heart and lungs. In severe cases, they can be life-threatening. That said, most autoimmune diseases aren’t life-threatening when treated.
What is the hardest autoimmune disease to diagnose?
Many autoimmune diseases are difficult to diagnose. They tend to affect multiple parts of the body, have nonspecific symptoms, and show up differently in different people. Plus, for many autoimmune conditions, there isn’t one specific test.
What causes autoimmune hives?
Autoimmune hives are a result of the immune system overreacting. But researchers aren’t sure exactly what the immune system is reacting to. More research is needed to determine exactly what the trigger(s) might be.
References
Abend, A. H., et al. (2024). Estimation of prevalence of autoimmune diseases in the United States using electronic health record data. The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Autoimmune Association. (n.d.). Patient resources.
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Hashash, J. G., et al. (2024). AGA clinical practice update on diet and nutritional therapies in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: Expert review. Gastroenterology.
Lerner, A., et al. (2015). The world incidence and prevalence of autoimmune diseases is increasing. International Journal of Celiac Disease.
Lupus Foundation of America. (2024). Eating healthy when you have lupus.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. (2020). Treatment for celiac disease.
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Resources and tools for autoimmune disorders
